Door-locking mechanism



Jmfiy s, 1924.

C. L WALKER DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 29.

w 1r 4 m Z W Z LJNJ H y July 8, 1924. 1,500,169

C. I. WALKER DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM Q AQQLU 1 ku- Patented July 8, 1%24.

FiEhET FEQE.

CHARLES I. WALKER, 013 L08 ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DOOR-LOCKING MECHANISM.

Application filed September 29, 1921.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES I. WALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Door-Locking Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in door locking mechanism.

One object of the invention is to provide an efiicient, durable and rugged locking arrangement for doors, and more especially for side doors of railways cars.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door locking arrangement which will be theft-proof, particularly as applied to box car doors.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a door locking arrangement for doors of the horizontally sliding type, so arranged that should the usual supporting means for the door fail from any cause, the door looking mechanism proper will function to hold the door in its proper position as well as keep it locked. 7

Other objects of the invent-ion will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a side of a boX car showing my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the structure illustrated in Figure 1 and corresponding substantially to the line 22 thereof. Figure 3 is a view .imilar to Figure 2 and corresponding substantially to the line 33 of Figure 1. Figures 4 and 5 are vertical sectional views of certain details of construction and corresponding respectively with the lines 4& and 55 of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a vertical broken sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 66 of Figure 1.

In said drawings, the side wall of the car is shown as provided with the usual outer wood sheathing 10, the said wall having a side door opening therein defined by a suitable threshold, lintel and wood side posts 1111. The door shown is composed entirely of sheet metal and is of the horizontal sliding outside type, supported from he top Serial No. 504,190.

edge by the usual roller brackets co-acting with a horizontal supporting track. Said door proper, as shown, comprises a main sheet of metal 12 having vertically extending edge corrugations 13-13 near each side, upper and lower horizontally extending edge corrugations 141-44 merging with the corrugations 1S and a plurality of horizontally extending corrugations 1515 which merge, at their ends, with the side edge corrugations 13-13. The margins of the door are flat and each margin consists of a multiple of plies of sheet metal, the intermediate ply, as indicated at 12, constituting the edge portion of the main sheet 12 of the door and the outer and inner plies 16 and 17 being formed by bent over extra strips of metal, the latter being extended on. the inner side of the door over the corresponding edge corrugations and riveted or spot-welded to the main sheet 12 of the door. It will be noted that all of the corrugations 13, 1d and 15 are extended outwardly from the general main plane of the door, so that the inner face of the door presents a generally flat surface adapting the door to slide properly over the door opening and along the outer side of the wall sheathing 10. By the peculiar arrangement of corrugations and mar ginal reenforcements, the door is made exceptionally strong and well adapted to resist the various strains imposed upon such a door when used in service on a box car.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably provide duplicated locking devices on the front and rear edges of the door, the front edge being the left hand edge of the door as viewed in Figure 1. Mortised into the side wall of the car, on each sideof the door opening and partially within the corresponding post 11, is a hollow box-like housing designated generally by the reference A. Each of said housings A is preferably in the form of a casting having vertical side walls 2020, back wall 21 and top wall 22. Suitable flanges 28 are provided on the casting adapted to fit against the inner side of the adjacent sheathing and by which the housing may be secured to the wall by screws or other suitable fastening devices. The housing A, on the front or outer side thereof, is formed with a comparatively narrow wall 2 1 near the bottom thereof, said wall being of generally triangular cross-section, as best indicated in Figure 4c, and providing a horizontal ledge on the upper side thereof. On the side wall 20, farthest from the door opening, each housin A is provided with an inwardly extended flange 26 just above the wall 24, said flange 26 having a curved inner edge, as indicated at 27 in Figure 4, thereby providing a cam locking shoulder co-operable with another shouldered element, as hereinafter described. A suitable vent 28 is formed in the housing, as best indicated in Figure 4, to allow dirt or other foreign matter to fall out of the housing, as will be understood. While the housings AA are of like construction, it will be understood that the same are made right and left.

In horizontal alinement with the housings AA the door has secured thereto bearing castings 29 and 30, said bearing castings partially fitting over the corresponding adjacent edge corrugations 13 and being also located in alinement with a horizontally extending corrugation 15 of the door. The said edge corrugations 13 are suitably perforated in alinement with the journal bearings of the bearing castings 29 and 30, so as to accommodate a horizontally extending shaft B, it being observed that the latter i lies within, and extends lengthwise of, the

corresponding horizontal corrugation 15, so that the addition of the shaft B to the door does not increase the effective over-all thickness of the door, an important consideration in railway car construction in which the clearances on the outsides of the car are definitely prescribed.

The shaft B is extended at each end beyond the side edges of the door and on each end has loosely rotatably mounted thereon a locking element C. Each of the looking elements 0 is preferably in the form of a cast block having a radially extending arm 31 adapted to work within the corresponding housing A between the flange 26 and opposite wall 20 of the housing, as best shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Each-arm 31 is pro-- vided on the side thereof farthest from the door opening, with a laterally extended arcuate lug 32, so curved and formed as to adapt it to rotate behind and cam against the edge 27 heretofore referred to. As will be evident from an inspection of Figure 4, when the locking element C is in the horizontal position there shown, said locking element cannot be pulled outwardly fronr the car wall, and, hence, the door can not be released. Furthermore, it will be observed that should the supports for the door fail, the weight of the door will be transferred to the shaft B and the latter in turn will be supported from the housings At each extreme end of the shaft B, a T- head is provided, as indicated at Said T-heads are rigid with the shaft and are adapted to co-operate with laterally exsomewhat shorter so as to leave sufiicient room for the hub 35 of a lever hasp 36, which is rigidly secured to the shaft B at the forward or front edge of the door. Said hasp lever 36 is suitably apertured near its free end so as to adapt it to fit over a staple 37 secured to the door, the staple then accommodating a U-shaped hook 38 permanently attached to the door by any suitable means-such as the chain 39. The arms of the hook 38 are apertured, as indicated at 4040, to accommodate the lead seal therethrough such as commonly employed on railroad cars to guard against unauthorized opening of the cars.

Vlhen the lever hasp 36 is in its uppermost position, as shown by the full lines in Figure 1, the T-heads 33 will be in the position shown best in Figure 4that is, against the lugs 34 of the element C, thereby holding the locking elements in their operative position. Vhen it is desired to unlock the door, the hasp 36 is swung outwardly, and during the first movement thereof, the rotation of the shaft B will take place independently of any movement of the element C on account of the lost motion provided between the T-heads 33 and the lugs 34. During the next 90.movement of the lever hasp, which brings it to a depending vertical position, the locking elements C will be swung upwardly, as viewed in Figure 4, through an arc of 90, thereby releasing said elements C from the housings A. The reason the lost motion between the shaft B and locking element C is provided is to prevent leaving the lex'er hasp extending outwardly from the door, so that it cannot engage with obstruc tions along the roadway, which might tear the same off.

lVithin each housing A, there is pivoted a curved plate 41, which is pivoted to the housing A near its upper edge, as indicated at 42. The lower edge of the plate 41, on the outer side, is provided with an outwardly extending perforated lug 43 adapted to extend between upwardly projecting perforated ears 44-44 carried by the locking element C. The alined perforations in the cars 44 and lug 43 are adapted to accommodate another lead seal of the usual character so that when the locking mechanism is in closed operative position, the door is sealed at three different places. With this arrangement, it is impossible for anyone to either operate the door mechanism as an entirety or to pry open either edge of the door without leaving visual evidence thereof. In releasing the mechanism, the plate 41 is adapted to swing to'the dotted line position shown in Figure a sufficiently inwardly to avoid interference with the element C when the latter is rotatein a release direction.

Another important feature of my improvements, when the same are applied to a car door, resides in the fact that each of the locking arrangements at the front and rear edges of the door serves as an eflicient stop to limit movements of the door which. might otherwise be caused when the car is in motion due to momentum.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out in the invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

.1. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a slidable door opening in a wall thereof and aslidable door movable to a position to close said opening; of a housing secured to said wall adjacent an edge of the door when in closed position, said housing having a locking shoulder thereon; a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having one end thereof projecting beyond the edge of said door; a shouldered element on said projecting end of the shaft co-operable with the housing shoulder when the shaft is rotated to locking position; means on said housing co-acting with said element to prevent sliding movement of said door; and means for rotating said shaft.

2. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof and a door movable to a position to close said opening; of a housing secured to said wall on each side of the door opening, each housing having a locking shoulder and supporting ledge thereon; a shaft rotatably mounted on said door, said shaft having the ends thereof projecting beyond the opposite edges of said door in alinement with said housings; means for rotating said shaft; and a shouldered element on each projecting end of said shaft co-operable with the corresponding housing shoulder and ledge when the shaft is rotated to locking position, whereby, said door is held in locked position and, in the event that the door supports fail, is supported by said housings.

3. In a door locking mechanism, the com bination with a member having a door open ing in a wall thereof and a door movable to position to close said opening; of a housing secured to said wall adjacent an edge of the door when the latter is in closed position, said housing having a locking shoulder thereon; a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having one end thereof projecting beyond said edge of the door; a shouldered element oscillatably mounted on the projecting end of the shaft and cooperable with the housing shoulder when the shaft is rotated to locking position; an operating lever rigid with said shaft for rotating it; and means carried by said shaft and said locking ele ment limiting the amount of lost motion between said locking elementand the shaft.

4. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof and a door movable to a position to close said opening; of a hous ing secured to said wall on each side of the door opening, each housing having a locking shoulder thereon; a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having its ends projecting beyond the opposite edges of the door in alinement with said housings; a shouldered element loosely rotatably mounted on each projecting end of said shaft, said shouldered elements being adapted to co-operate with the corresponding housing shoulders; cooperable means on the shaft and locking elements limiting the amount of lost motion therebetween; and means for rotating said shaft.

5. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door open ing in a wall thereof and a door movable to a position to close said opening; of a hollow housing secured to said wall on one side of the door opening, said housing havinga looking shoulder on the interior thereof, said housing being open on the outer side there of; a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having one end thereof projecting beyond the edge of the door to a point opposite said housing; an element mounted on said projecting end of the shaft having an arm extending radially from the shaft and adapted to be swung into said housing, said arm having a shoulder cooperable with the housing shoulder to engage behind the latter when the shaft is rotated to operative position; and means for rotating said shaft.

6. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof and a door movable to a position to close said opening; of a hollow housing secured to said wall on each side of the door opening, each housing having a shoulder on the interior thereof and open on its outer side; a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having the ends thereof projecting beyond the edges of the door to points opposite said housings: a locking element mounted on each extended endof said shaft, each element having 9.

radially extending arm adapted to swing into the corresponding housing, each arm having a laterally extended shoulder co-operablc with the housing shoulder; and means for rotating said shaft.

7. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof and a door mov able to a position to close said opening; of a hollow housing secured to said wall on one side of the door opening, said housing having a locking shoulder on the interior thereof, said housing being open on the outer side thereof; a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having one end thereof projecting beyond the edge of the door to a point opposite said housing; an element .mounted on said projecting end of the shaft having an arm extending radially from the shaft and adapted to be swung into said housing, said arm having ashoulder cooperable with the housing shoulder to engage behind the latter when the shaft is rotated to operative position; means for rotating said shaft; a closure plate pivotally mounted in said housing; and e e-operable perforated means on said cover plate and locking element adapted to accommodate a seal.

8. In a door operating mechanism, the combination with a member having a. door opening in a wall thereof and a door movable to a position to close said opening; of a housing secured to said wall adjacent an edge of the door when the latter is in closed position, said housing having a locking shoulder thereon; a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and laying one end there of projecting beyond said edge of the door, said end of the shaft having diametrically disposed shoulders thereon; a locking element loosely rotatably mounted on said extended end of the shaft inside of said shouldered end of the shaft, said locking element having a laterally extended lug (Jo-operable with said diametrically disposed shoulders of the shaft and providing a lost motion therebetween of predetermined amount,.said locking element having a shouldered end co-operable with. the housing shoulder; and an operating lever rigid with said sha 't for rotating it.

9. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof and a door movable to a position over the opening: of a housing secured to said wall on each side of the door opening adjacent thereto: a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having its ends extend beyond the side edges of the door opposite said housings, the ends of said shaft having diametrically disposed lugs thereon: a locking element loosely rotatably mounted on each extended end of the shaft at apoint inside of the diametrically disposed lugs, each locking element having a laterally extended lug co-operable with the corresponding diametrically disposed lugs; co-operable interlocking means on said locking elements and the housings; and an opcrating lever secured to said shaft adapted to rotate it.

10. In a door locking mechanism of the character described, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof; of a door slidably mounted on the outer side of said wall, said door being composed of sheet metal and having an outward ly extending horizontally arranged corrugation therein; an operating shaft on said door extending lengthwise within said corrugation and projecting outwardly beyond an edge of the door; means for operating said shaft; and co-operable interlocking means on the extended end of the shaft and said wall.

11. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof; of a door horizontally slidably mounted on the outer side of said wall, said door including a sheet metal portion having a horizontally disposed and outwardly extending corrugation. therein; an operating shaft extending horizontally lengthwise within said corrugation, the opposite ends of said shaft projecting beyond the front and rear edges of the door; and co-operable interlocking means on each end of the shaft and the wall of said member.

12. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof; of a sheet metal door horizontally slidably mounted on the outer side of said wall, said door having vertically extending outwardly projecting edge corrugations and a horizontally extending outwardly projecting corrugation merged at its end with the vertical corrugations, saidi door having flat marginal portions outside of the edge corrugations: a horizontally disposed operating shaft disposed within said horizontal corrugation and projecting outwardly through said edge corrugations beyond the front and rear edges of the door; bearing brackets for said shaft applied to the door adjacent the margins thereof; and co-operable interlocking means on each end of the shaft and on said wall.

13. In a. door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door opening in a wall thereof; of a horizontally slidably mounted door on the outer side of said wall, said door having a sheet metal section provided with an outwardly extended horizontal corrugation; an operating shaft extending lengthwise within said horizontal corrugation and projecting at one end beyond the vertical edge of the door; a lever secured to said shaft within the area of the door and by which the shaft is adapted to be rotated; a locking element loosely mounted on said projecting end of the shaft; means providing a limited amount of lost motion between said locking element and the shaft; a housing secured to said wall opposite said locking element; co-operable interlocking shoulders on said locking element and housing; and means for sealing said operating lever with a car seal.

14-. As an article of manufacture, a housing adapted to be secured to a member, said housing being of substantially hollow boxlike form and open on its outer side, said housing having a laterally extended shouldered lug on the inner side thereof and a horizontally extending shoulder.

15. As an article of manufacture, a door locking shaft of the character described, said locking shaft having a T-shaped end, and a locking element loosely rotatably mounted on the shaft adjacent the T end, said locking element having a laterally extended lug co-operable with the opposite flanges of the T-head to determine the amount of lost motion between said locking element and the shaft.

16. In a door locking mechanism, the combination with a member having a door open ing in a wall thereof and a door movable to a position to close said opening; of an operating shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having one end thereof projecting beyond an edge of the door; a locking element on said projecting end of the shaft; a member secured to said wall opposite said locking element, said member and the looking element having inter-engaging locking means and co-operating shouldered supporting portions; and means for rotating said shaft.

17. In a door locking arrangement of the character indicated, the combination with a sheet metal door having fiat marginal portions and provided with a corrugation extending outwardly from the general main plane of the door; of an operating shaft extending lengthwise within said corrugation and outside of the flat marginal portion at one edge of the door and beyond said edge, whereby the effective over-all thickness of the door remains unchanged by the shaft thereon; and a locking element mounted on the extended end of the shaft.

In witness that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2d day of September, 1921.

CHARLES I. WALKER.

IVitnesses MICHAEL ESTERMANN, EDWARD TWISTMAN. 

